UPDATE [Jan 2, 2018]: 13th Vessel has uncovered the untextured character model for Terra-Xehanort's Guardian, which you can view in the gallery above. He's also found Kingdom Key, Kingdom Key D, Donald's weapon, and effects for the previously reported on Water magic, which were not viewable. Some maps and textures of models are still there even after having been deleted. For example, in the NPC folder, 13th Vessel found some folders for Daybreak Town, but they only had textures of scrapped models in them. (Note that there he didn't find any maps for Daybreak Town.)

The next step would be to find a way of seeing these textures to identify them, but 13th Vessel says that that's a very complicated task. He states that because of this, there could be many things that are scrapped that we are not able to view.

UPDATE [Jan 2, 2018]: 13th Vessel has uploaded the soundtrack's file names from Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth By Sleep -A fragmentary passage- that he pulled from the game's assets. This list does not contain the game's opening song, "Simple and Clean (Ray of Hope Mix)."

You can see the list below:

The list comprises the following tracks, which can be heard throughout the game:

Always on My Mind

Dearly Beloved -Reprise-

Destiny's Force

Devil's Wave [1]

Devil's Wave [2]

Dive into the Heart -Destati-

Illusion Aqua

Hand in Hand

Bond*

Light and Dark**

Miracle

Missing You

Magical Mystery

Aqua

Sora

Terra

Ven

Dearly Beloved

Title launch***

Dark World battle theme

Dark World boss theme

Dark World field theme

Dark World field theme (Sleeping Beauty)

Dark World field theme (Snow White)

*This could be referring to the track "Destiny's Union" that plays when Terra is talking to Aqua.**This could be referring to the track "The Key" that plays when King Mickey finds the Kingdom Key D and when he is ready to seal the door to Kingdom Hearts.***This could be the brief music that plays when the player starts a new game.

13th Vessel commented that he was not able to view the soundtrack from Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover as it is a movie, not a game.

UPDATE [Jan 5, 2018]: We had another chance to speak to 13th Vessel about the NPC folders and the textures (with no models) found in them, and he explained to us, in detail, that some of the characters' models are found in folders whose names are identifiable with the code of the area those characters are seen during the game.

For instance, the untextured models for Yen Sid, Riku, Riku's and Mickey's suitcases, and Kairi, were found in folders with the code "yt" - for Yen Sid's Tower. Similarly, the models for Aqua and Terranort were found in Dark World ("dw") folders; and the models for Luxu and the box he carries, as seen in the Keyblade Graveyard, were appropriately found in a Daybreak Town ("db") folder.

UPDATE [Jan 6, 2018]: Keytotruth has uploaded an image of the model of the Gummi Ship found in the files of Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth By Sleep -A fragmentary passage-.

You can see the picture below. Note that the colors were added to the render.

Back in October, 13th Vessel uploaded a couple of videos on the Destiny Islands area in Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- using hacks and mods. You can check out more about that in the article here. What do you guys think about these assets? What else do you think we will find? Let us know in the comments below.

Assets from the game files of Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- have been uncovered by Twitter users @Keytotruth, 13th Vessel, and @Xeeynamo through hacking. Some of the untextured assets that have been found so far includes Luxu, the black box, Yen Sid, Aqua, Kairi, a Water Core Heartless, the Starseeker Keyblade, and the Castle of Dreams. You can view them in the gallery below:

When asked more about the assets, 13th Vessel gave some more insight on the structure of Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage-, which you can read below:

"Kingdom Hearts 0.2, it's basically a video with playable levels. Every cutscene that you see in-game is just a video."

When asked about which characters' assets they have found so far, they replied with:

"We have also found models for other characters (Yen Sid, Kairi, and Riku). Sora, Donald, and Goofy haven't been found as of yet."

UPDATE [Dec 18, 2017]: KeytoTruth has found unused commands in the assets of Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage-.Some of the commands that weren't used for the final version of the game were Water, Aero, Holy, WaterFire, WaterBlizzard, and WaterAero. You can view the full list of commands here.

UPDATE [Dec 31, 2017]:@Xeeynamo has found untextured models of Sora and Goofy from Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage-. Their pictures have been added to the album embed above.

UPDATE [Jan 1, 2018]: 13th Vessel has reported that they have uncovered "almost every model," including untextured character models for Riku in his Kingdom Hearts original outfit, Donald, Ansem the Wise and Terra; he has also found Riku's and Mickey's suitcases model. He has also found the files for Ventus and shirtless Mickey and many more, but there are no images available for those models yet. In the mean time, you can view all of the ones available in the gallery with the other images above.

UPDATE [Jan 2, 2018]: 13th Vessel has uncovered the untextured character model for Terra-Xehanort's Guardian, which you can view in the gallery above. He's also found Kingdom Key, Kingdom Key D, Donald's weapon, and effects for the previously reported on Water magic, which were not viewable. Some maps and textures of models are still there even after having been deleted. For example, in the NPC folder, 13th Vessel found some folders for Daybreak Town, but they only had textures of scrapped models in them. (Note that there he didn't find any maps for Daybreak Town.)

The next step would be to find a way of seeing these textures to identify them, but 13th Vessel says that that's a very complicated task. He states that because of this, there could be many things that are scrapped that we are not able to view.

UPDATE [Jan 2, 2018]: 13th Vessel has uploaded the soundtrack's file names from Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth By Sleep -A fragmentary passage- that he pulled from the game's assets. This list does not contain the game's opening song, "Simple and Clean (Ray of Hope Mix)."

You can see the list below:

The list comprises the following tracks, which can be heard throughout the game:

Always on My Mind

Dearly Beloved -Reprise-

Destiny's Force

Devil's Wave [1]

Devil's Wave [2]

Dive into the Heart -Destati-

Illusion Aqua

Hand in Hand

Bond*

Light and Dark**

Miracle

Missing You

Magical Mystery

Aqua

Sora

Terra

Ven

Dearly Beloved

Title launch***

Dark World battle theme

Dark World boss theme

Dark World field theme

Dark World field theme (Sleeping Beauty)

Dark World field theme (Snow White)

*This could be referring to the track "Destiny's Union" that plays when Terra is talking to Aqua.**This could be referring to the track "The Key" that plays when King Mickey finds the Kingdom Key D and when he is ready to seal the door to Kingdom Hearts.***This could be the brief music that plays when the player starts a new game.

13th Vessel commented that he was not able to view the soundtrack from Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover as it is a movie, not a game.

UPDATE [Jan 5, 2018]: We had another chance to speak to 13th Vessel about the NPC folders and the textures (with no models) found in them, and he explained to us, in detail, that some of the characters' models are found in folders whose names are identifiable with the code of the area those characters are seen during the game.

For instance, the untextured models for Yen Sid, Riku, Riku's and Mickey's suitcases, Kairi, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were found in folders with the code "yc" - for Yen Sid's Castle. Similarly, the models for Aqua and Terranort were found in Dark World ("dw") folders; and the models for Luxu and the box he carries, as seen in the Keyblade Graveyard, were appropriately found in a Daybreak Town ("db") folder.

UPDATE [Jan 6, 2018]: Keytotruth has uploaded an image of the model of the Gummi Ship found in the files of Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth By Sleep -A fragmentary passage-.

You can see the picture below. Note that the colors were added to the render.

Back in October, 13th Vessel uploaded a couple of videos on the Destiny Islands area in Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- using hacks and mods. You can check out more about that in the article here. What do you guys think about these assets? What else do you think we will find? Let us know in the comments below.

Back in September, HdHereidme uploaded a video showing off a hacked version of Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage-. The video contains the free exploration of sections with limited accessibility in the game, such as Destiny Islands and The World Within in Dwarf Woodlands. The video showcases the beauty of the Unreal Engine 4, and definitely leaves the viewer wondering how Kingdom Hearts III will look like in 2018.

In October, 13th Vessel uploaded a couple videos showcasing inaccessible areas in Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- as well. He also shows off Destiny Islands and The World Within in Dwarf Woodlands, where he tried out some room codes and got a rare debug message, which stated "Continue as normal, the flag isn't raised" (in Japanese).

You can check out the video below:

Also, the video of the full gameplay can be viewed below:

What do you think about the areas' graphical showcase? And what do you expect to see from Kingdom Hearts III in terms of graphics? Feel free to tell us in the comment section!

The website has not provided any information regarding the packaging of the product or any other item apart (from the games) that may be included in it.

UPDATE: As of October 25, 2017, the listing seems to have gone from both Koch Media and Amazon Germany. The links on Koch Media now lead to a page saying "The product could not be found." For your reference, below is a picture of the product page when it was active on the German website.

Now, this artwork is being featured on three different mugs and three different bags. You can pre-order the BOND mug here, the AIR mug here, and the COMING mug here. You can also pre-order the BOND bag here, the AIR bag here, and the COMING bag here.

The Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- Play Arts Kai Aqua showcased at various events this year is now up for pre-order on the North American Square Enix Online Store. The release date is listed as end of August 2017, with a price of $129.99.

You can view images of the figure below. The Square Enix Online Store description follows.

Aqua, the first female protagonist in the KINGDOM HEARTS series, has the inner fortitude to withstand adversity. This Play Arts -KAI- figure is sure to please as it showcases her unwavering spirit in its expression.

The various included accessory parts allow for a multitude of action poses. The paintwork, varying calculated intensities of light and shadow, gives her a realistic presence, all while taking great care to show off of her signature blue color. We also aimed to give her armor and keyblade a heavy feel through the paint-applied metal textures.

Whether she is charging gallantly into battle with Rainfell or showing her softer side in scenes with Terra and Ventus, we have condensed every bit of her charm into this figure to make it quintessentially Aqua.

AmiAmi has added a listing for the Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- Aqua Play Arts Kai, with pre-orders starting on April 5th, 12am JST. The figure was previously shown at the New York Toy Fair and Nuremburg Toy Fair in February, where the release date was first revealed to be July 2017. The figure has a listed price of 13.824 yen, with AmiAmi advertising a 29% discounted price.

The final product pictures reveal that the figure will not only come with the Play Arts Kai base, optional hand parts, and the Rainfell Keyblade, but also the Master's Defender Keyblade.

UPDATE: Square Enix is now accepting pre-orders on the Square Enix Japan store for 13,180 yen (about $120 USD) and the figure is set to be released on July 8th, 2017. It's currently unknown when it will be available in the North American store.

Beginning March 9th, Square Enix is hosting a giveaway of one of three Kingdom Hearts acrylic stands for people who have Square Enix memberships. You can view the giveaway site here.

Applicants must enter the serial codes and point cards found with their copies of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue (presumably copies from the Japanese Square Enix e-store) for a chance at winning one of the stands, drawn by Tetsuya Nomura. The deadline for entries is March 22nd (up until 23:59 Japan time).

A picture of the stands can be seen below, these stands were also given away during the release of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue.

The rules for the giveaway are as follows

Application will only be made once per account with serial code registered.

Multiple serial codes of the same product can not be registered.

The download version will be excluded from the campaign.

Once you have applied, you can not change the type of acrylic stand you wish.

After a strict drawing, we will send you "winning announcement" e-mail to the winner at a later date.

Those who are elected will be required to enter the winning prize delivery address from the URL described in the mail.

* If there is no shipping destination input within the period specified by e-mail, winning will be invalid.

Please refrain from the right after winning and the exhibition to the net auction such as assignment / conversion of prize

Square Enix will release a calendar in April to commemorate the beginning of the Japanese school year. This calendar contains images of various Square Enix titles, including Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. The images are supposedly separate to the calendar, hence you can choose which image you want to use.

Square Enix members will be able to purchase the calendar for 400 points, up to two per person can be ordered from here.

The sweepstakes will end on March 27, 2017 and is only available in the United States and Canada (excluding Quebec and Rhode Island). Entrants must be 18 years or older.

While the official rules state that no purchase is necessary, it goes on saying to enter an entrant must purchase or pre-oder the listed games. Entrants can also send a handwritten letter to Square Enix with the following details: name, age, phone number, mailing address, and email.

The official North American Twitter account for Square Enix Merchandise has revealed a new image of the previously mentionedKingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth By Sleep -A fragmentary passage- Aqua Play Arts Kai figure at the New York Toy Fair. You can view the image below:

UPDATE 1: An advertisement for the Kingdom Hearts Play Arts Kai Aqua figure has been spotted in a Japanese store. View a photo of it, provided by @Phamboola on Twitter, below:

UPDATE 2:AmiAmi has added a listing for the Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- Aqua Play Arts Kai, with pre-orders starting on April 5th, 12am JST. The figure was previously shown at the New York Toy Fair and Nuremberg Toy Fair in February, where the release date was first revealed to be July 2017. The figure has a listed price of 13.824 yen, with AmiAmi advertising a 29% discounted price.

The final product pictures reveal that the figure will not only come with the Play Arts Kai base, optional hand parts, and the Rainfell Keyblade, but also the Master's Defender Keyblade.

UPDATE 3: Square Enix is now accepting pre-orders on the Square Enix Japan store for 13,180 yen (about $120 USD) and the figure is set to be released on July 8th, 2017. It's currently unknown when it will be available in the North American store.

Square Enix have recently announced that Kingdom Hearts 0.2: A Fragmentary Passage Aqua will be joining the Kingdom Hearts Play Arts Kai line. The figure will be on display at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany from February 1st to February 6th. The release date and pricing for the figure haven't been announced yet.

Will you order a Aqua figure? Who do you want to see as a Play Arts Kai figure? Tell us in the comments below.

UPDATE 1: A clearer photo of the Play Arts Kai has been taken, now displaying a clear release date of July 2017 for the figurine (far left photograph).

UPDATE 3: An advertisement for the Kingdom Hearts Play Arts Kai Aqua figure has been spotted in a Japanese store. View a photo of it, provided by @Phamboola on Twitter, below:

UPDATE 4:AmiAmi has added a listing for the Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- Aqua Play Arts Kai, with pre-orders starting on April 5th, 12am JST. The figure was previously shown at the New York Toy Fair and Nuremberg Toy Fair in February, where the release date was first revealed to be July 2017. The figure has a listed price of 13.824 yen, with AmiAmi advertising a 29% discounted price.

The final product pictures reveal that the figure will not only come with the Play Arts Kai base, optional hand parts, and the Rainfell Keyblade, but also the Master's Defender Keyblade.

UPDATE 5: Square Enix is now accepting pre-orders on the Square Enix Japan store for 13,180 yen (about $120 USD) and the figure is set to be released on July 8th, 2017. It's currently unknown when it will be available in the North American store.

A Kingdom Hearts 15th Anniversary Box was revealed on the Square Enix Japan e-Store, exclusively available for fans who preorder Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX. This box features the cover artwork pieces for Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. The box is intended to store players' copies of KH2.8, as well as the upcoming Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX, set to be released in March.

UPDATE #3: The error has been fixed. The theme(s) are now free for everyone to download once you beat the games. For those who have already mistakenly purchased the theme(s), we recommend contacting PSN support to ask for a refund. Sony may ask for proof that the themes are free. Feel free to use the image below, courtesy of Reddit user Stonewall30nyr.

UPDATE #2:

Square-Enix have emailed us back talking about the theme situation. You can read it below.

Thank you for contacting SQUARE ENIX support,

We apologize for the delay in our response. The team looked into this issue and found that there appears to be an error with the game at this time. As recently reported by various users, the PSN theme(s) that are unlocked when completing the game(s) are requiring users to pay $2.99 (USD), but this is indeed an error. The PSN Theme(s) are supposed to be FREE for users as a reward for completing the game(s).

Our KINGDOM HEARTS support team, as well as management and development, have been informed of the issue, and are currently working to resolve the error in a timely manner. At this time, we must kindly ask for your patience while the issue is investigated, and we urge you to refrain from purchasing the PSN Theme(s), since they should be downloadable for free once the back-end error is fixed.

*If you have already purchased the theme(s), we sincerely apologize, as that was not our intention. We are currently working with the KINGDOM HEARTS team and Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) to issue a proper reimbursement for the mistakenly purchased PSN Theme(s).

Again, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, but rest assured that our teams are working to resolve the issue in a timely manner. We thank you for contacting us, and we hope you continue to enjoy playing KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue, and best of luck in battle!

Thank you for contacting the SQUARE ENIX Support Center.

The original article follows:

With the release of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, many fans have bundled up and begun to play on their PlayStation 4's. One feature that may be familiar to fans is the unlockable themes that players can obtain after completing each title. In both Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX & HD 2.5 ReMIX, these themes were free for players and were able to download and put these themes on their home screens after completion. However, for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, the themes are currently not free.

Once you complete each title in the collection (Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A Fragmentary Passage-, Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD, & Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover) you will receive the option to obtain the theme for that individual title. However, they are currently priced at $2.99 when you select them to download. While it may seem like an error, seeing as they are free everywhere else, reddit user AsinineBinkie reports that they got a response from Square Enix support that read as follows:

Please note, completing KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue will only unlock the ability to purchase the PlayStation themes, it is not a reward that is received for free for beating the game. We do apologize for the confusion.

Keep in mind that Square Enix has not made a public comment on the themes as of yet. Also, please note that the priced themes are only shown in the North American version of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue.

Update: A screenshot of a similar email has been provided by GameFAQs user domnu which you can view below.

Update: If you did indeed purchase the themes before they became free, we recommend contacting PSN for a refund. Proof that the themes are now free in North America is displayed below. Credit goes to reddit user Stonewall30nyr

To celebrate the release of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, Square Enix has unveiled one last trailer for the fans. A short montage of clips accompanies the showcase of each entry in the compilation, with dialogue and Utada's "Simple and Clean -Ray of Hope MIX-" in the background.

You can view this trailer below.

What are your thoughts on this new trailer? Let us know in the comments below!

Inside of an Italian copy of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue's case, advertisements can be found for both Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX and Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ.

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX will release March 9th, 2017 in Japan, March 28th, 2017 in North America, and March 30th, 2017 in Europe for the PlayStation 4. Images of the advertisements can be found below thanks to Everglow.

4Gamer.net have released the sale numbers in Japan for the week of January 9th. Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue came in at the #1 spot with 137,797 physical copies sold. Thanks to @aibo_ac7 for the tip.

For comparison of the previous two remixes, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix had 128,414 copies sold during its first week back in 2013 while Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix had 84,935 copies sold back in 2014.

A retail store in Germany has copies Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue already on the shelves for purchase, a whole week earlier than the worldwide release date set for January 24th, 2017. An image of the early copies out in the shelves has been provided thanks to Merilly and can be found below.

Update: Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue was also found for sale early in Italy. Images can be found below thanks to Everglow!

Update: Reddit user Solredux was able to purchase an early copy of Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue in the United States, located in New York City.

With Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue's worldwide release soon approaching, displays advertising pre-orders for the limited edition of the game have begun to appear inside of GameStop stores.The GameStop display features images of the limited edition box, the official Disney Collector's pin included with the limited edition, and also advertises that Pro Members will receive double the points for pre-ordering Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue.

A new update is available for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, just 2 days after it's release in Japan. An image of the update can be found below thanks to @aibo_ac07. A following Tweet explained that the update included multiple fixes that improved the functionality of the game.

Update: Twitter user nobody_0123 uploaded a video showing that one of the fixes included in this update was changing the eye color of Ventus to yellow in the Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep 0.2 -A Fragmentary Passage- opening when Vanitas is in control of his body.

In their most recent issue, Dengeki PlayStation included a 10-page feature on Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue. The spread features screenshots and several game tips regarding both Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD and Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A Fragmentary Passage-. A brief promo for Sora's inclusion as a Champion Summon in World of Final Fantasy was also included.

Additionally, Dengeki PlayStation interviewed Kingdom Hearts series composer Yoko Shimomura, speaking with her about her involvement in the game's soundtrack.

Translations for the spread and interview will be posted as soon as they are available. Images from the spread and interview can be found below.

Update#1

The interview has now been translated thanks to @goldpanner. You can view it below.

> The Master's theme song takes a previously unexplored route!

—Ms Shimomura, in KH2.8 we are able to listen to new music you worked on for KH0.2 and KHBC, aren't we.Ms Yoko Shimomura (hereon shortened): There were fewer new pieces compared to before, but I did do some.

— Ms Shimomura, you were also in charge of new songs for FFXV. Was it extremely hectic with the jobs overlapping?Shimomura: I started the brunt of the work on KH2.8 after work on FFXV was basically finished, so it didn't get to the point of biting off more than I could chew. There was a period where I was very busy, though.

—We could really feel the Shimomura magic in the pieces that play during KHBC and the last boss battle in KH0.2. Shimomura: Thank you! Every one of the new tracks passed the harsh inspection of Mr Tetsu (KH series director Tetsuya Nomura). When the wind orchestra performance in Tokyo had just finished, just as I was about to head to the after party, I got a scary call from Mr Tetsu about a track… The memories…

—Among the new pieces, are there any that particularly left an impression on you?Shimomura: There is one absolutely amazing track! It's a piece that takes a route never before done in the KH series, and the piano adlib is amazing.

—In which specific scene does the music appear? Shimomura: It's the music that plays during a scene in KHBC where the Master of Masters is speaking to Luxu. It's the Master's theme song, and it's actually a much longer track, but only one part plays during the cutscene. The feedback I got the first time I made and and sent for review a theme for the Master was, "This piece itself is good so we will use it somewhere else, but this isn't how the Master's theme should go." It was a piece I finished after a long and gruelling battle.

—The theme for the final boss battle of KH0.2 is so fiery, listening to it really pumps you up.Shimomura: When making battle music, I pay attention to setting things in a balanced way that pumps you up without making you sick of it or hurting your ears. I can't let the song sound like I'm shoving how cool I think it is in your face. That's self-complacency. But having said that, I can't let it feel like I'm holding myself back, either, so it is pretty hard. And, I have to be pumped up myself first before I can make music that pumps people up, and that mental control is another way battle music is difficult. By the way, the final boss battle music was an arrangement done for me by another individual, so there are two versions recorded.

—For previous HD remasters, you arranged the music of KH Final Mix and KHII Final Mix for HD. Did you arrange any pieces for KHDDD?Shimomura: It is the exact same soundtrack from the original KHDDD. It has to do with hardware; back in the days of KH1 and KH2 the soundtrack played from a built-in sound generator. The sound quality is no good when you re-listen now, so I had to arrange them to fit KH1.5 and KH2.5. KH Birth by Sleep onward uses streaming, where the recorded source audio is inserted, so the HD versions don't need anything in particular to be processed. Thinking back on the old days, I used to compose for KH1 and KH2 on the PS2 while planning how the music would be set and played in the system memory, and things like that.

>I want you to taste the visceral experience of the game at the concert

—Please tell us once more your impressions on First Breath, the wind orchestra concert held last August.Shimomura: I myself was in the brass band in high school, so the wind orchestra gave me all the emotions! All the pleasant thoughts I heard from those who attended after the First Breath performance are a special memory too.

—It's surprising that there hadn't been one until then. Shimomura: I'd wanted to do a KH concert for a long time, and there'd been talk of doing it many times, but nothing ever came to fruition. KH is a huge title, so settling upon doing it is only the first of many hurdles to clear. When planning began, I was already able to see so many hurdles that I wondered if it'd be impossible after all, but as things moved forward I found I was clearing them surprisingly easily. But that absolutely wasn't because of me, it was because everyone around me was working so hard.

—The orchestra concert world tour is going to have its first performance in Tokyo, then make the rounds across each country, right?Shimomura: The first performance being in Japan was on my firm request. According to the pro instrumentalists, most orchestra concert tours so far have begun overseas. But KH is a game created in Japan, so I thought that if we are going to have a concert then we have to start from Japan. Fulfilling my wish, two concerts were planned right away, and I couldn't have been happier. Then I heard that the orchestra was going to play at the Tokyo International Forum (Tokyo performance), and then have a world tour after that: the surprises kept coming!

—As the very first orchestra concert for KH, we're sure the fans are paying very keen attention.Shimomura: Performing at the Tokyo International Forum is an enormous pressure, and I did wonder what on earth we'd do if the tickets didn't sell (laughs). To my great gratitude, we ended up in the unprecedented situation of deciding to do an encore show before tickets were even open for booking, so I am endlessly thankful for the reaction from the fans.

—It will be interesting to see how the fans overseas respond, won't it?Shimomura: Overseas they tend to give energetic and straightforward reactions, so I'm looking forward to it. People respond very differently in different countries, even just within Asia. For example, my strong impression is that they tend to show big reactions in China, while in Taiwan, if I had to I'd say they give a quieter impression like us Japanese. I think this is just the nation's personality, so I would love for those who are able to attend the Japanese performance to not worry about standing ovations and simply enjoy themselves. We will be visiting seven countries including Japan, so I am really looking forward to what sorts of reactions I'll get to see in each place!

—How is preparation for the orchestra concert? Shimomura: We are working our butts off to get ready for the opening show in March. Aside from one part the setlist is entirely different from First Breath, so I'm hoping even those who joined us for First Breath will have a lot of fun too!

—What did you focus on when thinking up the setlist?Shimomura: This is true of any concert, but I picked music with the thought that I wanted to give the listeners the visceral feelings of playing the games. There were also things to consider from the angle of the order of performance, like, this piece sounds better on wind, or we absolutely have to do this one with the orchestra. On top of taking all those sorts of things into account, I like to be able to bring out a drama-like vibe in the concert as a whole. That's a point I focused a lot on with both First Breath and this orchestra.

—Was Mr. Nomura also involved in choosing the music?Shimoura: I chose the music and created a setlist, which Mr. Tetsu checked for me, and then I'd listen to his requests and give my own opinions. That's the general flow of how we decided things. Since Mr. Tetsu and I both chose music with the same line of thinking—that we wanted to make our fans happy—I am confident in the setlist I have for you all. By the way, Mr. Tetsu had said he wanted the wind orchestra and the orchestra concert to have a "two in one" configuration. Mr. Tetsu is also the supervisor of the movie that is going to play in the hall, so please look forward to that.

—Is Mr. Nomura also planning to surprise us with his own performance, like he did at the First Breath concert?Shimomura: I'm not sure about that (laughs). We were very, very much obliged to the pianist for letting him use their seat… Besides, all the pieces this time are pretty hard (laughs).

—A message for the fans, please!Shimomura: My long-time dream is coming true: we are finally able to hold the first independent Kingdom Hearts orchestra concert. It's thanks to fifteen years of support from the fans that we are even able to do something like this, so we are preparing something that will be able to repay you with everything we have. Giving the fans a great time was my top priority while making the setlist and arranging the music, so let's savour the moments together on the day!

The most recent issue of Famitsu Weekly has a large spread on Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, which has recently released in Japan. The spread features a few story details, character bios, as well as a few gameplay tips for both Birth by Sleep 0.2 -A Fragmentary Passage- and Dream Drop Distance, including a full list of the challenge locations in BbS 0.2.